Green’s Dictionary of Slang

bejabers n.

a euph. for hell, the phr. (3)

1940		E. Ferber ‘You’re Not the Type’ in One Basket (1947) 527: Schatzy would bawl the bejinks out of her.
1942		R.L. Bellem ‘Color of Murder’ Dan Turner – Hollywood Detective Dec. 🌐 That startled the bejaspers out of me.
1950		Nottingham Eve. Post 24 Apr. 1/6: He hopes Mr Churchill will ‘use it to whale the bejabers our of the Socialists’.
1959		‘Ed McBain’ Killer’s Wedge (1981) 58: Jesus it scared the living bejabbers out of me.
1972		W.C. Anderson Hurricane 189: Twirling the beejeebers out of a sling psychometer [HDAS].
1987		Legislative Assembly of Ontario Hansard 30 Dec. 1510: There was no text, no final agreement. It was, ‘Let’s get in there and scare the bejabers out of the electorate in this province and perhaps we can win a majority.’.
1987		‘Joe Bob Briggs’ Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In 123: The students go around with dart guns trying to rubber-bullet the bejabbers out of one another.
1994		J. O’Connor Secret World of the Irish Male (1995) 208: Sweating like a sow in a sauna, and then going into a shop or bar where the air-conditioning would freeze the bejapers off a brass monkey.
2002		posting at www.breastcancercare.org.uk 5 Dec. 🌐 I’ll collect for Breast Cancer Care etc but hospices scare the bejabers out of me!
2004		posting at beethoven.com 🌐 2 June We took her back after ten days of watching her kick the bejabers out of our other cats.

In phrases